The present invention relates to a novel process for preparing enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formulae: 
in which R1 is hydrogen, alkyl, aryl or cycloalkyl and R2 is acyl, and in particular to reacting them further to give the corresponding enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene compounds of the formula IV 
Enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene of the formula IV, such as, for example, (1R,4S)-1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclo-pent-2-ene, is an important intermediate in the preparation of carbocyclic nucleosides, such as, for example, carbovir (Campbell et al., J. Org. Chem. 1995, 60, 4602-4616).
Hereinbelow, xe2x80x9cenantiomerically enrichedxe2x80x9d compounds are understood as compounds having an enantiomeric excess (ee) of more than 20%.
A number of processes for preparing (1R,4S)-1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene have been known up until now. WO 97/45529, for example, describes a biotechnological process for preparing (1R,4S)-1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene starting from racemic cis-N-acetyl-1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene using microorganisms which employ the latter as the only carbon source, as the only nitrogen source or as the only carbon and nitrogen source. This process has the disadvantage that it has to be carried out in a fermenter.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an alternative, simple and cost-efficient process for preparing enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the formula I and II and enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene compounds of the formula IV.
According to the invention, the object is achieved by converting a racemic 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivative of the general formula 
in which R1 is hydrogen, an optionally substituted, linear or branched C1-8-alkyl radical, aryl radical or cycloalkyl radical using a hydrolase in the presence of an acylating agent into the enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)-cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formulae 
in which R1 is as defined above and R2 is acyl.
The present invention is directed to a process for preparing enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formulae 
wherein R1 is hydrogen or an optionally substituted C1-8- alkyl radical, aryl radical or cycloalkyl radical and R2 is acyl, and wherein a racemic 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl) cyclopent-2-ene derivative of the general formula: 
in which R1 is as defined above is reacted using a hydrolase in the presence of an acylating agent.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a process for preparing enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formula 
comprising
a) converting a racemic 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivative of the general formula 
in which R1, as defined in claim 1; using a hydrolase in the presence of an acylating agent into enantiomerically enriched 
wherein R1 and R2, as defined in claim 1; and
b) chemically hydrolyzing the 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formula I into the corresponding enantiomers of the general formula II.
A further embodiment of the present invention is directed to a process for preparing enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene of the formula 
comprising:
a) converting a racemic 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivative of the general formula 
wherein R1, as defined in claim 1, using a hydrolase in the presence of an acylating agent into enantiomerically enriched 
wherein R1 and R2, as defined in claim 1; and
b) chemically hydrolyzing the 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formulae I and II
into the corresponding enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene isomers of the formula IV.
The starting materials, the racemic 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formula III, can be prepared starting from (xc2x1)-2-azabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-3-one, in accordance with WO 97/45529. Preference is given to using the cis-racemic starting materials.
The term alkyl, as used in this context, includes both linear and branched alkyl. Alkyl can be substituted or unsubstituted. C1-8-alkyl is in particular methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl and its isomers, hexyl and its isomers, heptyl and its isomers or octyl and its isomers. Substituted C1-8-alkyl is understood as C1-8-alkyl which is substituted by one or more halogen atoms, by OR3 or by NR3R4, R3 and R4 being identical or different and being hydrogen or branched or linear C1-8-alkyl, aryl or cycloalkyl. The halogen atom used may be F, Cl, Br or I. Examples of NR3R4s are methylamino, N-methyl-N-ethylamino, 1-piperidinyl or aminomethyl. Examples of OR3s are methoxy, methoxymethyl, ethoxy, propoxy and phenoxy.
Aryl is preferably understood as benzyl or phenyl, substituted or unsubstituted. Substituted aryl is understood hereinbelow as aryl which is substituted by one or more halogen atoms C1-4-alkyl groups, C1-4-alkoxy groups, amino, cyano or nitro groups. The substituted benzyl used is preferably chloro- or bromobenzyl, and the substituted phenyl used is preferably bromo- or chlorophenyl. Cycloalkyl is advantageously substituted or unsubstituted C3-7-cycloalkyl, for example cyclopropyl, cyclopentyl or cyclohexyl. Examples of suitable substituents are those mentioned for aryl.
Acyl corresponds to the acid component of the acylating agent used.
Acyl is preferably C1-6-alkanoyl, unsubstituted or substituted by one or more halogen atoms, C1-4-alkoxy, aryl, hydroxy, amino, cyano, nitro, and/or COOR, where R is C1-4-alkyl. Examples of unsubstituted or substituted acyl radicals are acetyl, propionyl, butyryl, chloroacetyl, bromoacetyl, dichloroacetyl, cyanoacetyl, methoxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, methoxyethanoyl, hydroxybutyroyl, hydroxyhexanoyl, phenylcarbonyl, chlorophenylcarbonyl and benzylcarbonyl.
Suitable acylating agents are, in general, carboxylic acid derivatives, such as carboxamides, carboxylic anhydrides or carboxylic esters.
The carboxylic esters used may be alkoxycarboxylic esters, such as ethyl methoxyacetate, or propyl methoxyacetate, C1-6-carboxylic esters, such as butyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, phenyl butyrate, trichloroethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, vinyl butyrate, glycerol esters, such as tributyrin (glyceryl tributyrate), glycol esters, such as glycol dibutyrate, diethyl diglycolate, or dicarboxylic esters, such as vinyl succinate, cyano-substituted esters, such as cyanoacetic esters, or cyclic carboxylic esters, such as butyrolactone, caprolactone.
The carboxamides used may be the amides which correspond to the abovementioned esters.
The carboxylic anhydrides used may be simple, mixed or cyclic anhydrides, such as butyric anhydride, acetyl benzoate, succinic anhydride.
The hydrolases used may be lipases, esterases or proteases. Suitable for use as lipase are customary lipases, such as, for example, Novo-Lipase SP523 from Aspergillus oryzae (Novozym 398), Novo-Lipase SP524 from Aspergillus oryzae (Lipase=Palatase 20000L from Novo), Novo-Lipase SP525 from Candida antarctica (Lipase B Novozym 435, immobilized), Novo-Lipase SP526 from Candida antarctica (Lipase A=Novozym 735, immobilized), Lipase kits from Fluka (1 and 2), Amano P Lipase, lipase from Pseudomonas sp., lipase from Candida cylindracea, lipase from Candida lipolytica, lipase from Mucor miehei, lipase M from Mucor javanicus (Amano), lipase from Aspergillus niger, lipase from Bacillus thermocatenulatus, lipase from Candida antarctica, Lipase AH (Amano; immobilized), Lipase P (Nagase), Lipase AY from Candida rugosa, Lipase G (Amano 50), Lipase F (Amano F-AP15), Lipase PS (Amano), Lipase AH (Amano), Lipase D (Amano), Lipase AK from Pseudomonas fluorescens, Lipase PS from Pseudomonas cepacia, Newlase I from Rhizopus niveus, Lipase PS-CI (immobilized lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia).
These lipases can be used, as is known to the person skilled in the art, as cell-free enzyme extracts or else in the corresponding microorganism cell.
Suitable proteases are likewise commercially available proteases, for example serine proteases such as subtilisin. The subtilisin used may be, for example, savinase from Bacillus sp., alcalase, subtilisin from Bacillus licheniformis and proteases from Aspergillus, Rhizopus, Streptomyces or Bacillus sp.
Depending on which hydrolase is selected, one of the two enantiomers of a racemic, for example cis-racemic, 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene of the formula III is acylated (compounds of the formula I), whereas the other enantiomer remains unchanged (compounds of the formula II). The two enantiomers can then be separated.
Different hydrolases may have different stereospecificities. If, for example, cis-N-acetyl-1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene is reacted with lipase M and an acylating agent, the (1R, 4S)-enantiomer is acylated specifically and can be separated from the non-acylated (1S, 4R)-enantiomer. If the hydrolase used is, for example, Savinase (protease from Bacillus sp.), the (1S, 4R)-enantiomer is acylated specifically, whereas the (1R, 4S)-enantiomer remains.
The hydrolase-catalyzed acylation is advantageously carried out at a temperature of from 0 to 70xc2x0 C., preferably at a temperature of from 15 to 45xc2x0 C.
The hydrolase-catalyzed acylation can be carried out in a protic or aprotic organic solvent. Suitable aprotic organic solvents are ethers, aliphatic hydrocarbons, organic bases and carboxylic acid derivatives. Ethers which may be used are tert-butyl methyl ether, diisopropyl ether, dibutyl ether, dioxane or tetrahydrofuran. Suitable aliphatic hydrocarbons are hexane, heptane, octane. Suitable organic bases are pyridines or trialkylamines, such as triethylamine. Possible carboxylic acid derivatives are, for example, ethyl acetate or the above-described acylating agents.
The enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formula I or II formed in the hydrolase-catalyzed acylation can, after separation, be directly chemically hydrolyzed into the corresponding enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)-cyclopent-2-ene isomers of the formula IV 
Alternatively, the enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivative of the general formula I which has been separated off can initially, by choosing the appropriate hydrolysis conditions, be hydrolysed step-wise back to the corresponding enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivative of the general formula II which, if desired, is then converted by further chemical hydrolysis as above into the corresponding enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene of the formula IV.
Advantageously, the chemical hydrolysis is carried out using an alkali metal hydroxide or ammonia. The alkali metal hydroxide used may be sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.
The chemical hydrolysis can be carried out at a temperature of from 20 to 100xc2x0 C., preferably at a temperature of from 60 to 80xc2x0 C.
The preferred enantiomerically enriched 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivative of the general formula I is the (1R,4S)- and (1S,4R)-N-acetyl-1-amino-4-(propylcarbonyloxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene (R1=CH3, R2=propylcarbonyl), and the preferred 1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene derivatives of the general formula II are the (IR,4S)- and (1S,4R)-N-acetyl-1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene, which are then chemically hydrolyzed preferably into the (IR,4S)- or (1S,4R)-1-amino-4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-2-ene.